The winds and waves on the sea moved slowly. The Konoha swayed unsteadily with the tides, followed by a fleet arranged in orderly formation.
The wounded from the battle against the Big Mom Pirates had already returned to Dressrosa alongside Jinbe's prisoner escort fleet. Hikaru had reorganized the remaining forces into three fleets, preparing for the battles ahead.
Burgess and Shiryu of the Rain, under the Blackbeard Pirates, had both been captured alive in Dressrosa. The fleets they commanded would never abandon their commanders and flee back in disgrace. They would definitely launch a large-scale assault on Dressrosa to rescue Burgess and Shiryu. After all, following their defeat of Whitebeard's remnants, the Blackbeard Pirates had leaped into the ranks of the Four Emperors and were at the height of their prestige. If word got out that two of their most capable officers had been captured alive by Uchiha Hikaru, how severe a blow would that be to their reputation?
Law, Drake, and Urouge stood behind Hikaru, looking somewhat uneasy.
Hikaru always carried himself with an air of calm detachment. To them, he felt like an insurmountable peak that could only be looked up at. Although they knew he was actually easy to talk to, that vast and imposing aura naturally made them feel distant from him.
"What is it?" Hikaru did not turn around, his gaze fixed on the horizon, but he sensed his subordinates' condition with perfect clarity. "Are you nervous?"
Law grinned. "Although we suffered some minor losses in the last battle, it won't affect the Combat Power we have left to deal with the Blackbeard Pirates. I just don't know whether, after two consecutive battles, other forces might take advantage of an opening and attack Dressrosa if our losses are too great."
"No," Hikaru said calmly. "In